Remote Learner will be conducting database maintenance August the 15th from 01:00 AM EST until 04:00 AM EST on the Kansas City data center. During this window we will be improving the performance and resiliency of our database system. During this time you may experience periods with loss of connectivity to your hosted site. Thank you for your patience as we continue improving our services.

We will have the Oculus Rift and the LeapMotion available for faculty, students and staff to use next week at the following times and locations:

Tuesday, May 13th
The Wilson Media Lab in the Davis Family Library
From 11am until 3pm

Wednesday, May 14th
Room 205 in McCardell Bicentennial Hall
From 11am until 3pm

No appointment is necessary, these are open demos for anyone to attend. Other gadgets for virtual space and motion may be available.

Our colleagues in Communications will be demonstrating the Quadcopter outside the Davis Family Library at 2pm on Tuesday the 13th (if we have rain on Tuesday, they will be joining us at 2pm on Wednesday at McCardell Bicentennial Hall, specific location TBD.

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/05/08/trip-the-rift-and-leap-into-motion/feed/0Friday Links – April 18, 2014http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/04/18/friday-links-april-18-2014/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/04/18/friday-links-april-18-2014/#commentsFri, 18 Apr 2014 14:00:22 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=33818Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>Photos: 15 gadgets to reduce your energy consumption - Earth Day is April 22, so it’s a great time to take a step back and look at your personal energy consumption.

“… This is taking something of substance and value and coring it out so it can be swallowed without chewing. This is not how we’ll confront our most frightening problems. This is one of our most frightening problems. …” [around 2:00]

13 Ways To Be A Great Public Speaker – Rehearsing your body language and getting proper rest are effective tactics for reducing public speaking anxiety and ensuring that you give a memorable presentation.

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/04/18/friday-links-april-18-2014/feed/0Friday Links – March 14, 2014http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/03/14/friday-links-march-14-2014/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/03/14/friday-links-march-14-2014/#commentsFri, 14 Mar 2014 14:29:48 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=33658Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>9 Tips for Creating a Sense of Community for Distance Learners - The article provides is geared towards fully online courses, but it is also good advice for faculty wanting to created engagement in a hybrid course.

Memes, Genes and Evolution on Facebook - The way memes evolve on Facebook is startlingly similar to the way genes evolve on Earth, say researchers who have carried out the first large-scale study of memetic evolution.

Photos: 3D printers, a tour of the top models – The MakerBot Replicator Mini is the cheapest of the versions at $1,375. It’s designed for home use and only weighs 18 pounds. Download the designs on the tablet app, connect the Mini to a USB cable, and print. The machine is optimized for PLA filament.

Seduction in the Poster Session – Plan, learn and whatever you do – don’t use Comic Sans! This article provides poster making tips from Kathryn Everson, a PhD Student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks & University of Alaska Museum. Adobe InDesign and Illustrator are highlighted as two of the best tools to use for poster production and (GOOD NEWS!) these are both available at Middlebury in the Wilson Media Lab!

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/03/14/friday-links-march-14-2014/feed/0Strategies for Using Moodle to Increase Learner Engagementhttp://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/02/25/strategies-for-using-moodle-to-increase-learner-engagement/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/02/25/strategies-for-using-moodle-to-increase-learner-engagement/#commentsTue, 25 Feb 2014 15:06:40 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=33571Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>This webinar is being offered by Remote-Learner, our Moodle host. There is a small group in LIS that will be attending together, please let me know if you would like to join us by emailing jantonio@middlebury.edu.

March 13th 2:00pm EST

A good eLearning solution requires more than good content. Identifying and implementing the right types of media and instructional strategy can make all the difference and will help increase learner engagement, resulting in an increase in learner mastery. Research has shown that appropriate use of Moodle tools keeps learners interested and motivated, and this increases learning. Let us show you a few ways we can use proven strategies combined with Moodle tools to meet your eLearning needs.

The differences between a basic course where Moodle is used to organize files for learners, a simple Moodle course where material is put together using Moodle modules, and an interactive course where instructional strategies are incorporated into a course to draw learners into the eLearning experience.

Creative uses for innovative ways to incorporate different Moodle modules into your courses.

About the servicesoffered by Remote-Learner’s Learning Service Department and ways we can help you design, develop, and build interactive moodle courses for your learners.

Presenter: Page Chen
Chief Learning Officer

Page, has her Masters Degree in Adult Education and is currently completing her dissertation research in the field of Instructional Design for Online Learning. She has been designing curriculum and instruction since 1994, and focused specifically on designing courses for delivery on the Moodle platform since 2009. Designing and building “out of the box” learning experiences for all ages and a wide variety of industries, government agencies, and educational institutions, Page’s experience working with major oil and gas companies and the Aerospace industry gives her a unique perspective when balanced against being a fifth generation educator who is passionate about education reform and the role technology plays in changing how we live, play and learn.

In order to increase the resilience and reliability of our cloud platform we will be replacing our network firewalls. Upgrades on the firewalls will be conducted during the February 28th maintenance window between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., ET.

During most of this period your site will be operational, but there may be short periods of connection loss to the internet.

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2014/02/20/moodle-maintenance-notice-for-22814/feed/0Podcasting in Educationhttp://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/12/09/podcasting-in-education/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/12/09/podcasting-in-education/#commentsMon, 09 Dec 2013 21:51:18 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=33207Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>Please join us as we engage in a discussion and workshop on audio and podcasting for education with radio producer and filmmaker, Erin Davis, in January. Participants will walk away from this two day workshop with a clear map for podcast production from concept to distribution. We will begin by addressing the fundamental question, “What is a podcast?” and swiftly continue to cover:

Format, style and themes of a variety of leading podcasts

Equipment needs & recording techniques

Software & editing basics

Distribution and sharing

The discussion and workshop will occur on Monday, January 20th and Wednesday, January 22nd, from 1pm-4:30pm. There will also be time to work with technologists on project work on Tuesday, January 21st, from 1-4:30pm.

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/12/09/podcasting-in-education/feed/0iPad in Educationhttp://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/12/02/ipad-in-education/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/12/02/ipad-in-education/#commentsMon, 02 Dec 2013 22:16:13 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=33185Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>Please join us as we engage in a conversation and demonstration about the possibilities of iPad in Higher Education with Apple Systems Engineer, Lars Ljungholm on Monday, December 9th.

We are currently undergoing a shift in the education landscape. Students are now growing up in – and graduating into – a connected, information-rich world which presents both challenges and opportunities for educators. Faculty can use mobile learning tools to help personalize learning, engage and motivate students, and practice authentic assessment. At this session, we will be discussing and demonstrating the use of iPad and various apps that you can use to enhance your personal productivity and professional work both in and out of the classroom.

There will be a morning and an afternoon session in rm 105 in the Davis Family Library.

In order to increase resilience and reliability of our cloud platform we will be migrating data within our server infrastructure. We will be performing maintenance during our October 4th maintenance window from 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., ET. During most of this period your site will be operational, cron will not be running; a brief loss of connectivity to the internet will occur at the end of the process.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Remote-Learner Technical Support

]]>http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/09/30/moodle-maintenance-on-friday-october-4th-from-2am-6am/feed/0Course Site Suggestionshttp://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/08/19/course-site-suggestions/
http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2013/08/19/course-site-suggestions/#commentsMon, 19 Aug 2013 20:13:21 +0000http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=32446Continue reading →Continue reading →]]>The college is approaching the start of the undergraduate academic year, and faculty are thinking about course web sites. LIS has many ways to help faculty think about what is possible with technology in the classroom (if you don’t know where to start, try your liaison:http://go.middlebury.edu/liaisons), but we realize that there are faculty who simply want to jump in and start experimenting on their own.

Below are a some ideas for the do-it-yourselfers. This is not meant as a comprehensive list, just some suggestions to make things easier.

Start at the Hub

Every course has a basic site automatically created in the Course Hub ( http://courses.middlebury.edu ). This is where you can see all of the web-based resources available to your class. After logging in, you will see a listing of your classes with a big grey button to the right for each one. To see what is available click on the following buttons:

MANAGE RESOURCES → +ADD A RESOURCE

One Place to Find Them

Every student will see a list of their courses in the Hub. If every syllabus and course web site is made available through the Hub, then students will be able to find the resources they need for every class in one central location.

Add Your Syllabus

Click on the SYLLABUS link on the right-hand side of your Course Hub site. You can add your syllabus in a number of ways:

Write/paste it inside the Hub

Upload it to the Hub

Link to it from a web site

Public or Private

We currently have two services that support course web sites: Moodle and WordPress. Which one is right for your class? This depends on what you are doing with your class, and how you plan on using the web site. There are a number of features in each one, but in general here is one way to think about the decision:

MOODLEstarts off with the idea of a private classroom. Activities like quizzes and forum discussions are meant for students who are in the class, visitors are only welcome by permission. If you would like your classroom activity to be private, choose Moodle.

WORDPRESS starts off with the idea that you want to share with the world. Commenting on posts, image galleries, and Google Maps make for an engaging experience. If you would like your course to interact with the world, choose WordPress.

You Can Build It, Just Make Sure You Unlock the Door

You can make your Moodle course site “unavailable to students,” a nice feature while you are building your site. However, please remember to go back to the settings page or the Hub and set the course to “available for students” when you want them to access your course materials.

DMTs at Their Service

The Digital Media Tutors (http://go.middlebury.edu/dmt ) have spent the summer working on web sites, videos, and other multimedia projects. They have built up their working knowledge so that they can help your students with their multimedia assignments. The DMTs are available for walk-in support in the Wilson Media Lab ( http://go.middlebury.edu/wilson ).